U.S. patent application number 14/760505 was filed with the patent office on 2015-12-10 for controller for multiple robot using wireless teaching pendant and method for controlling thereof.
The applicant listed for this patent is AJINEXTEK CO., LTD.. Invention is credited to Sung Hyuk Choi, Chang Ho Kim, Sang Tae Lee, Tae Min Lee.
Application Number | 20150352718 14/760505 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 49639180 |
Filed Date | 2015-12-10 |
United States Patent
Application |
20150352718 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Lee; Tae Min ; et
al. |
December 10, 2015 |
CONTROLLER FOR MULTIPLE ROBOT USING WIRELESS TEACHING PENDANT AND
METHOD FOR CONTROLLING THEREOF
Abstract
A multiple robot control apparatus using a teaching pendant and
a control method thereof. The method of controlling a plurality of
robots by a teaching pendant based on an access point (AP) includes
the steps of: transmitting first information to the AP by the
teaching pendant; transmitting the first information to a plurality
of related master boards by the AP; outputting a drive pulse signal
using the first information by each of the plurality of master
boards; and operating the plurality of robots respectively
connected to the plurality of master boards according to the drive
pulse signal, in which the teaching pendant operates on an Android
platform, and the teaching pendant, the AP and the plurality of
motion master boards communicate using at least either a short
range communication or a wireless communication.
Inventors: |
Lee; Tae Min; (Busan,
KR) ; Kim; Chang Ho; (Daegu, KR) ; Choi; Sung
Hyuk; (Daegu, KR) ; Lee; Sang Tae; (Daegu,
KR) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
AJINEXTEK CO., LTD. |
Dalseo-gu, Daegu |
|
KR |
|
|
Family ID: |
49639180 |
Appl. No.: |
14/760505 |
Filed: |
April 25, 2013 |
PCT Filed: |
April 25, 2013 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/KR2013/003562 |
371 Date: |
July 13, 2015 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
700/246 ; 901/3;
901/8 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B25J 9/0084 20130101;
Y10S 901/03 20130101; Y10S 901/08 20130101; B25J 9/1669 20130101;
B25J 13/006 20130101 |
International
Class: |
B25J 9/16 20060101
B25J009/16; B25J 13/00 20060101 B25J013/00; B25J 9/00 20060101
B25J009/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Feb 12, 2013 |
KR |
10-2013-0014956 |
Claims
1. A method of controlling a plurality of robots by a teaching
pendant based on an access point (AP), the method comprising the
steps of: transmitting first information to the AP by the teaching
pendant; transmitting the first information to a plurality of
related master boards by the AP; outputting a drive pulse signal
using the first information by each of the plurality of master
boards; and operating the plurality of robots respectively
connected to the plurality of master boards according to the drive
pulse signal, wherein the teaching pendant operates on an Android
platform, and the teaching pendant, the AP and the plurality of
motion master boards communicate using at least either a short
range communication or a wireless communication.
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the short range
communication uses at least one of techniques including
Wireless-Fidelity (WiFi), Bluetooth, Radio Frequency Identification
(RFID), infrared Data Association (IrDA), Ultra Wideband (UWB) and
ZigBee, and the wireless communication uses at least one of
techniques including code division multiple access (CDMA),
frequency division multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple
access (TDMA), orthogonal frequency division multiple access
(OFDMA), and single carrier frequency division multiple access
(SC-FDMA).
3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps
of: transmitting a request message to the AP by the teaching
pendant; transmitting the request message to the plurality of
related master boards by the AP; transmitting a response message to
the AP as a response to the request message by a first master board
which is at least one of the plurality of master boards; and
transmitting the response message to the teaching pendant by the
AP, wherein the first information is transmitted only to the first
master board.
4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the AP is provided in
plurality, and each of the plurality of APs transmits the first
information only to a plurality of master boards related to the AP
itself.
5. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least some of the
plurality of master boards support an EtherCAT protocol.
6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of master
boards transmits and receives data to and from each other using the
AP.
7. A multiple robot control system comprising: a teaching pendant
for transmitting first information to an AP; the AP for
transmitting the first information to a plurality of master boards
related to the AP; the plurality of master boards for outputting a
drive pulse signal using the first information; and a plurality of
robots respectively connected to the plurality of master boards and
operating according to the drive pulse signal, wherein the teaching
pendant operates on an Android platform, and the teaching pendant,
the AP and the plurality of motion master boards communicate using
at least either a short range communication or a wireless
communication.
8. The system according to claim 7, wherein the short range
communication uses at least one of techniques including
Wireless-Fidelity (WiFi), Bluetooth, Radio Frequency Identification
(RFID), infrared Data Association (IrDA), Ultra Wideband (UWB) and
ZigBee, and the wireless communication uses at least one of
techniques including code division multiple access (CDMA),
frequency division multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple
access (TDMA), orthogonal frequency division multiple access
(OFDMA), and single carrier frequency division multiple access
(SC-FDMA).
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a multiple robot control
apparatus using a wireless teaching pendant and a control method
thereof. Specifically, the present invention provides an apparatus
for simultaneously controlling a plurality of robots through
wireless communication using an access point by a teaching pendant,
and a control method thereof.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] A teaching pendant is a device used for industrial
equipments or robots, which is configured to be small using only
key buttons and an LCD for the convenience of a user usually in an
industrial field where a monitor and a mouse cannot be used or in
an automated equipment which does not need to be specially handled,
and the teaching pendant is used in connection with one equipment
through a cable.
[0003] Specifically, the teaching pendant is used to make a program
for teaching an initial position value and driving a simple
sequence using a Jog mode in the field and advantageously used to
monitor a state of an equipment in real-time or to change
parameters of the equipment.
[0004] Currently, the teaching pendant is controlled using a cable,
and it is configured to connect one teaching pendant to one
equipment.
[0005] However, length of the cable of a present teaching pendant
is limited depending on performance of the pendant.
[0006] The modes for operating the teaching pendant can be largely
classified into two modes, and, first, a jog mode is a mode for
arbitrarily adjusting a moving direction and a speed of the device
using buttons, which is mainly used for teaching an initial
position value.
[0007] In addition, a user mode is used to manipulate software
(S/W) provided by a company using a TFT-LCD and buttons and program
and drive a sequence desired by a user, and this is used to monitor
a state of an equipment in real-time using an LCD.
[0008] However, the teaching pendant products currently
commercialized in the market are connected through a cable, and a
plurality of teaching pendants is required to manage the whole
production line configured of a plurality of equipments.
Accordingly, there are disadvantages such as increase of cost
according to the number of teaching pendants, limitation in the
range of movement of a user due to the cables, inconvenience of
attaching and detaching the pendants, and the like.
[0009] Furthermore, since the teaching pendant products are also
disadvantageous in that additional cost is required according to
the functions of buttons and the structure of the teaching pendant
when hardware (H/W, e.g., buttons or the like of the pendant) is
upgraded or changed according to software (S/W), a solution for
solving the problem is required.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Technical Problem
[0010] Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of
the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to
provide a user with a multiple robot control apparatus using a
wireless teaching pendant and a control method thereof.
[0011] Specifically, an object of the present invention is to
provide a user with a multiple robot control apparatus for
transmitting and receiving data using wireless communication and a
control method thereof, in which a teaching PAD (T-PAD) configured
with an interface using an Android platform is used as a teaching
pendant, and an access point is placed between the T-PAD and a
motion controller for driving an equipment.
[0012] Meanwhile, technical problems to be solved by the present
invention are not limited to the technical problems described
above, and other unmentioned technical problems will be clearly
understood by those skilled in the art from the following
descriptions.
Solution to the Problem
[0013] To accomplish the above object, according to one aspect of
the present invention, there is provided a method of controlling a
plurality of robots by a teaching pendant based on an access point
(AP), the method including the steps of: transmitting first
information to the AP by the teaching pendant; transmitting the
first information to a plurality of related master boards by the
AP; outputting a drive pulse signal using the first information by
each of the plurality of master boards; and operating the plurality
of robots respectively connected to the plurality of master boards
according to the drive pulse signal, in which the teaching pendant
operates on an Android platform, and the teaching pendant, the AP
and the plurality of motion master boards may communicate using at
least either a short range communication or a wireless
communication.
[0014] In addition, the short range communication may use at least
one of techniques including Wireless-Fidelity (WiFi), Bluetooth,
Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), infrared Data Association
(IrDA), Ultra Wideband (UWB) and ZigBee, and the wireless
communication may use at least one of techniques including code
division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access
(FDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), orthogonal frequency
division multiple access (OFDMA), and single carrier frequency
division multiple access (SC-FDMA).
[0015] In addition, the method of controlling a plurality of robots
further includes the steps of: transmitting a request message to
the AP by the teaching pendant; transmitting the request message to
the plurality of related master boards by the AP; transmitting a
response message to the AP as a response to the request message by
a first master board which is at least one of the plurality of
master boards; and transmitting the response message to the
teaching pendant by the AP, in which the first information may be
transmitted only to the first master board.
[0016] In addition, the AP may be provided in plurality, and each
of the plurality of APs may transmit the first information only to
a plurality of master boards related to the AP itself.
[0017] In addition, at least some of the plurality of master boards
may support an EtherCAT protocol.
[0018] In addition, the plurality of master boards may transmit and
receive data to and from each other using the AP.
[0019] According to another aspect of the present invention, there
is provided a multiple robot control system including: a teaching
pendant for transmitting first information to an AP; the AP for
transmitting the first information to a plurality of master boards
related to the AP; the plurality of master boards for outputting a
drive pulse signal using the first information; and a plurality of
robots respectively connected to the plurality of master boards and
operating according to the drive pulse signal, in which the
teaching pendant operates on an Android platform, and the teaching
pendant, the AP and the plurality of motion master boards may
communicate using at least either a short range communication or a
wireless communication.
[0020] In addition, the short range communication may use at least
one of techniques including Wireless-Fidelity (WiFi), Bluetooth,
Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), infrared Data Association
(IrDA), Ultra Wideband (UWB) and ZigBee, and the wireless
communication may use at least one of techniques including code
division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access
(FDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), orthogonal frequency
division multiple access (OFDMA), and single carrier frequency
division multiple access (SC-FDMA).
Advantageous Effects of the Invention
[0021] The present invention may provide a user with a multiple
robot control apparatus using a wireless teaching pendant and a
control method thereof.
[0022] Specifically, the present invention may provide a user with
a multiple robot control apparatus for transmitting and receiving
data using wireless communication and a control method thereof, in
which a teaching PAD (T-PAD) configured with an interface using an
Android platform is used as a teaching pendant, and an access point
is placed between the T-PAD and a motion controller for driving an
equipment.
[0023] Meanwhile, the effects obtained from the present invention
are not limited to the effects described above, and other
unmentioned effects will be clearly understood by those skilled in
the art from the following descriptions.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0024] The above and other objects, features and advantages of the
present invention will be apparent from the following detailed
description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention
in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0025] FIG. 1 is a view illustrating a specific example of a
conventional system for controlling multiple robots using a
teaching pendant in relation to the present invention;
[0026] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a teaching
pendant applicable to the present invention;
[0027] FIG. 3a is a view showing an example of a teaching pendant
applicable to the present invention, and FIG. 3b is a view
illustrating a detailed specification of the teaching pendant
applicable to the present invention;
[0028] FIG. 4 is a view illustrating a specific example of a system
for controlling multiple robots to which a teaching pendant
according to the present invention is applied;
[0029] FIG. 5 is a view showing an example of the concept of
wireless communication between a teaching pendant and a motion
master board in relation to the present invention;
[0030] FIG. 6 is a view showing an example of a communication
procedure between a teaching pendant and a motion master board in
relation to the present invention;
[0031] FIG. 7 is a view showing a specific example of a line
expansion management configuration using an access point in
relation to the present invention; and
[0032] FIG. 8 is a view showing a specific example of a motion
control configuration using an EtherCAT in relation to the present
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0033] A teaching pendant is a device used for industrial
equipments or robots, which is configured to be small using only
key buttons and an LCD for the convenience of a user usually at an
industrial field where a monitor and a mouse cannot be used or in
an automated equipment which does not need to be specially handled,
and the teaching pendant is used in connection with one equipment
through a wire.
[0034] Specifically, the teaching pendant is used to make a program
for teaching an initial position value and driving a simple
sequence using a Jog mode in the field and advantageously used to
monitor a state of an equipment in real-time or to change
parameters of the equipment.
[0035] FIG. 1 is a view illustrating a specific example of a
conventional system for controlling multiple robots using a
teaching pendant in relation to the present invention.
[0036] The system disclosed in FIG. 1 is a system for controlling
multiple robots using a teaching pendant which is currently
available in the market.
[0037] Referring to FIG. 1, the system for controlling multiple
robots may includes a teaching pendant 100, a control board 200, an
amplifier 300, robots 400 and sensors and switches 500, and the
control board 200 may include an ARC-II 610, an Ethernet/IP 620, a
PLC 630, a PC 640 and a touch panel 650. Since the constitutional
components shown in FIG. 1 are not necessarily required, a multiple
robot control system having further more or further less
constitutional components may be implemented.
[0038] Referring to FIG. 1, if a command desired by a user is
transmitted using the teaching pendant 100 connected through a
cable, a motion master board mounted inside the ARC-II 610 outputs
the corresponding command in the form of a pulse and drives the
robot 400.
[0039] In addition, a current equipment state can be confirmed in
real-time through the control board 200.
[0040] The modes for operating the teaching pendant disclosed in
FIG. 1 can be largely classified into two modes, and, first, a jog
mode is a mode for arbitrarily adjusting a moving direction and a
speed of a device using buttons, which is mainly used for teaching
an initial position value.
[0041] In addition, a user mode is used to manipulate software
(S/W) provided by a company using a TFT-LCD and buttons and program
and drive a sequence desired by a user, and this is used to monitor
a state of an equipment in real-time using an LCD.
[0042] However, the teaching pendant disclosed in FIG. 1 is
controlled using a cable, and it is configured to connect one
teaching pendant to one equipment, and length of the cable of a
present teaching pendant is limited depending on performance of the
pendant.
[0043] In addition, the teaching pendant products of FIG. 1 are
connected through a cable, and a plurality of teaching pendants is
required to manage the whole production line configured of a
plurality of equipments. Accordingly, there are disadvantages such
as increase of cost according to the number of teaching pendants,
limitation in the range of movement of a user due to the cables,
inconvenience of attaching and detaching the pendants, and the
like.
[0044] In addition, the teaching pendant products of FIG. 1 are
also disadvantageous in that additional cost is required according
to the functions of buttons and the structure of the teaching
pendant when hardware (H/W, e.g., buttons or the like of the
pendant) is upgraded or changed according to software (S/W).
[0045] Accordingly, the present invention provides an apparatus for
simultaneously controlling a plurality of robots through wireless
communication using an access point by a teaching pendant, and a
control method thereof.
[0046] Before describing operation of the present invention in
detail, a preferred embodiment of a wireless teaching pendant
applied to the present invention will be described hereinafter.
[0047] The embodiment described below dose not unduly limit the
contents of the present invention specified in the claims, and the
entire configuration described in the embodiment may not be
absolutely necessary as a means for solving the problems of the
present invention.
[0048] Hereinafter, a wireless teaching pendant of the present
invention will be described in detail.
[0049] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a teaching
pendant applicable to the present invention.
[0050] The wireless teaching pendant 1100 may include a wireless
communication unit 1110, an audio/video (A/V) input unit 1120, a
user input unit 1130, a sensing unit 1140, an output unit 1150,
memory 1160, an interface unit 1170, a control unit 1180 and a
battery 1190. Since the constitutional components shown in FIG. 2
are not necessarily required, a wireless teaching pendant 1100
having further more or further less constitutional components may
be implemented.
[0051] Hereinafter, the constitutional components will be described
in order.
[0052] The wireless communication unit 1110 may include one or more
modules which enable wireless communication between the wireless
teaching pendant 1100 and a wireless communication system or
between the wireless teaching pendant 1100 and a network in which
the wireless teaching pendant 1100 is positioned. For example, the
wireless communication unit 1110 may include a broadcast reception
module 1111, a mobile communication module 1112, a wireless
Internet module 1113, a short range communication module 1114 and a
position information module 1115.
[0053] The broadcast reception module 1111 receives broadcasting
signals and/or broadcasting related information from an external
broadcasting management server through a broadcasting channel.
[0054] The broadcasting channel may include a satellite channel and
a terrestrial wave channel. The broadcasting management server may
mean a server which creates and transmits broadcasting signals
and/or broadcasting related information or a sever which receives
previously created broadcasting signals and/or broadcasting related
information and transmits the received broadcasting signals and/or
broadcasting related information to the wireless teaching pendant
1100. The broadcasting signals include not only TV broadcasting
signals, radio broadcasting signals and data broadcasting signals,
but also broadcasting signals combining the data broadcasting
signals with the TV broadcasting signals or the radio broadcasting
signals.
[0055] The broadcasting related information may means information
related to a broadcasting channel, a broadcasting channel, a
broadcasting program or a broadcasting service provider. The
broadcasting related information may be provided through a mobile
communication network. In this case, the broadcasting related
information may be received by the mobile communication module
1112.
[0056] The broadcasting related information may exist in a variety
of forms. For example, the broadcasting related information may
exist in the form of Electronic Program Guide (EPG) of Digital
Multimedia Broadcasting (DMB), Electronic Service Guide (ESG) of
Digital Video Broadcast-Handheld (DVB-H) or the like.
[0057] The broadcast reception module 1111 may receive digital
broadcasting signals using a digital broadcasting system such as
Digital Multimedia Broadcasting-Terrestrial (DMB-T), Digital
Multimedia Broadcasting-Satellite (DMB-S), Media Forward Link Only
(MediaFLO), Digital Video Broadcast-Handheld (DVB-H), DVB-CBMS,
OMA-BCAST, Integrated Services Digital Broadcast-Terrestrial
(ISDB-T) or the like. Of course, the broadcast reception module
1111 may be configured to be suitable for broadcasting systems in
addition to the digital broadcasting system described above.
[0058] The broadcasting signals and/or the broadcasting related
information received through the broadcast reception module 1111
may be stored in the memory 1160.
[0059] The mobile communication module 1112 transmits and receives
wireless signals to and from at least one of a base station, an
external terminal and a server on the mobile communication network.
The wireless signals may include a voice call signal, a video
communication call signal or various types of data according to
transmission and reception of character/multimedia messages.
[0060] The wireless Internet module 1113 is a module for wireless
Internet connection, which can be installed inside or outside of
the wireless teaching pendant 1100.
[0061] Wireless LAN (WLAN) (Wi-Fi), Wireless broadband (Wibro),
World Interoperability for Microwave Access (Wimax), High Speed
Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) or the like can be used as a
technique of the wireless Internet.
[0062] The short range communication module 1114 is a module for
short range communication. Bluetooth, Radio Frequency
Identification (RFID), infrared Data Association (IrDA), Ultra
Wideband (UWB), ZigBee or the like can be used as a technique of
the short range communication.
[0063] The position information module 1115 is a module for
acquiring a position of the wireless teaching pendant 1100, and a
representative example thereof is a Global Positioning System (GPS)
module. According to the current technique, the GPS module 1115 may
accurately calculate 3-dimensional information on the current
position according to latitude, longitude and height by calculating
information on the distance from at least three or more satellites
and accurate time information and then applying the calculated
information to trigonometry. Currently, a method of calculating
position and time information using three satellites and correcting
an error in the calculated position and time information using
another satellite is widely used. In addition, the GPS module 1115
may calculate information on the speed by continuously calculating
the current position in real-time.
[0064] Referring to FIG. 2, the audio/video (A/V) input unit 1120
is for inputting an audio signal or a video signal, which may
include a camera 1121 and a mic 1122. The camera 1121 processes an
image frame such as a still image or a moving image obtained from
an image sensor in a video communication mode or a photographing
mode. The processed image frame may be displayed on a display unit
1151.
[0065] The image frame processed by the camera 1121 may be stored
in the memory 1160 or transmitted to outside through the wireless
communication unit 1110.
[0066] At this point, two or more cameras 1121 may be provided
depending on a use environment.
[0067] For example, first and second cameras 1121a and 1121b for
photographing 3D images may be provided as the camera 1121 on a
side opposite to a side where the display unit 1151 of the wireless
teaching pendant 1100 is provided, and a third camera 1121c for
self-photographing by a user may be provided in some area on the
side where the display unit 1151 of the wireless teaching pendant
1100 is provided.
[0068] At this point, the first camera 1121a is for photographing a
left eye image, which is a source image of a 3D image, and the
second camera 1121b is for photographing a right eye image.
[0069] The mic 1122 receives an external audio signal through a
microphone in a communication mode, a recording mode or a voice
recognition mode and processes the audio signal into electrical
voice data. In the case of the communication mode, the processed
voice data may be converted into a form transmittable to a base
station and output through the mobile communication module 1112. A
variety of noise reduction algorithms for removing noises generated
in the process of receiving the external audio signal may be
implemented in the mic 1122.
[0070] The user input unit 1130 generates input data for
controlling operation of the wireless teaching pendant 1100 by the
user.
[0071] The user input unit 1130 may receive a signal specifying two
or more contents among the contents displayed according to the
present invention from the user. Then, the signal specifying two or
more contents may be received through a touch input or a hard key
and soft key input.
[0072] The user input unit 1130 may receive an input for selecting
one content or two or more contents from the user. In addition, the
user input unit 1130 may receive an input for creating an icon
related to a function that can be performed by the wireless
teaching pendant 1100 from the user.
[0073] The user input unit 1130 described above may be configured
of direction keys, a keypad, a dome switch, a
(resistive/capacitive) touchpad, a jog wheel, a jog switch and the
like.
[0074] The sensing unit 1140 senses a current state of the wireless
teaching pendant 1100 such as an open and close state of the
wireless teaching pendant 1100, a position of the wireless teaching
pendant 1100, whether or not a user has contacted, an azimuth of
the wireless teaching pendant 1100, acceleration/deceleration of
the wireless teaching pendant 1100 or the like and generates a
sensing signal for controlling operation of the wireless teaching
pendant 1100. For example, when the wireless teaching pendant 1100
is a type of a slide phone, the sensing unit 1140 may sense whether
the slide phone is open or closed. In addition, the sensing unit
1140 may also sense whether or not power is supplied from the
battery 1190, whether or not the interface unit 1170 is combined
with an external device, or the like. Meanwhile, the sensing unit
1140 may include a proximity sensor 1141. The proximity sensor 1141
will be described below in relation to a touch screen.
[0075] The output unit 1150 is for generating an output related to
a visual sense, an aural sense, a tactile sense or the like, and
the output unit 1150 may include a display unit 1151, a sound
output module 1152, an alarm unit 1153, a haptic module 1154 and a
projector module 1155.
[0076] The display unit 1151 displays (outputs) information
processed by the wireless teaching pendant 1100. For example, when
the wireless teaching pendant 1100 is in the communication mode,
the display unit 1151 displays a user interface (UI) or a graphic
user interface (GUI) related to communication. When the wireless
teaching pendant 1100 is in the video communication mode or the
photographing mode, the display unit 1151 displays a photographed
and/or received image, or the UI or the GUI.
[0077] In addition, the display unit 1151 supports 2D and 3D
display modes.
[0078] That is, the display unit 1151 according to the present
invention may have a configuration combining a switch liquid
crystal 1151b with a general display device 1151a. Then, the
display unit 1151 may operate an optical parallax barrier 50 using
the switch liquid crystal 1151b to separate light by controlling
traveling direction of the light so that different lights may
arrive at the left and right eyes respectively. Therefore, when an
image combining an image for the left eye and an image for the
right eye is displayed on the display device 1151a, a corresponding
image is shown in each of the eyes from the viewpoint of a user,
and thus the user feels as if a 3D image is displayed.
[0079] That is, in the 2D display mode, the display unit 1151
performs a general 2D display operation by driving only the display
device 1151a, not driving the switch liquid crystal 1151b and the
optical parallax barrier 50, under the control of the control unit
1180.
[0080] In addition, in the 3D display mode, the display unit 1151
performs a 3D display operation by driving the switch liquid
crystal 1151b, the optical parallax barrier 50 and the display
device 1151a under the control of the control unit 1180.
[0081] Meanwhile, the display unit 1151 described above may include
at least one of a liquid crystal display (LCD), a thin film
transistor-liquid crystal display (TFT LCD), an organic
light-emitting diode (OLED), a flexible display and a 3D
display.
[0082] Some of these displays may be configured as a transparent
type or a light transmissive type so as to see outside through the
displays. This may be called as a transparent display, and a
representative example of the transparent display is a Transparent
OLED (TOLED) or the like. The backend structure of the display unit
1151 may also be configured as a light transmissive type. Owing to
such structures, a user may see an object positioned at the rear of
the wireless teaching pendant 1100 body through an area occupied by
the display unit 1151 of the wireless teaching pendant 1100
body.
[0083] Two or more display units 1151 may exist depending on an
implementation type of the wireless teaching pendant 1100. For
example, in the wireless teaching pendant 1100, a plurality of
display units may be arranged to be spaced from one another or in
one piece on one surface or may be arranged on different
surfaces.
[0084] When the display unit 1151 and a sensor for sensing a touch
operation (hereinafter, referred to as a `touch sensor`) form a
layered structure with each other, the display unit 1151 may be
used as an input device as well as an output device. The touch
sensor may be formed in, for example, a touch film, a touch sheet,
a touchpad or the like.
[0085] The touch sensor may be configured to convert a change in
the pressure applied to a specific portion of the display unit 1151
or the electrostatic capacitance generated at a specific portion of
the display unit 1151 into an electrical input signal. The touch
sensor may be configured to detect even the pressure of a touch, as
well as a touched position and area.
[0086] When the touch sensor senses a touch input, a signal
(signals) corresponding to the touch input is sent to a touch
controller (not shown). The touch controller processes the signal
(signals) and transmits a corresponding data to the control unit
1180. Therefore, the control unit 1180 may figure out a touched
area or the like of the display unit 1151.
[0087] The proximity sensor 1141 may be arranged in an internal
area of the wireless teaching pendant 1100 surrounded by the touch
screen or in the neighborhood of the touch screen. The proximity
sensor is a sensor for detecting an object approaching a certain
detection surface or existing in the neighborhood of the detection
surface using an electromagnetic force or infrared rays without a
mechanical contact. The proximity sensor has a long lifespan and a
high utility compared with a contact type sensor.
[0088] Examples of the proximity sensor include a transmissive
photoelectric sensor, a diffuse reflective photoelectric sensor, a
retro-reflective photoelectric sensor, a high frequency oscillation
proximity sensor, a capacitive proximity sensor, a magnetic
proximity sensor, an infrared proximity sensor and the like. In the
case of a capacitive touch screen, the touch screen is configured
to detect approach of a pointer based on changes in the electrical
field corresponding to the approach of the pointer. In this case,
the touch screen (touch sensor) may be classified as a proximity
sensor.
[0089] Hereinafter, for the convenience of explanation, a behavior
of recognizing approaching and positioning of a pointer on the
touch screen while the pointer does not contact with the touch
screen is referred to as a "proximity touch", and a behavior of a
pointer actually contacting with the touch screen is referred to as
a "contact touch". A position of a proximity touch of the pointer
on the touch screen means a position on the touch screen vertically
corresponding to the pointer when the pointer is
proximity-touched.
[0090] The proximity sensor senses a proximity touch and a
proximity touch pattern (e.g., a proximity touch distance, a
proximity touch direction, a proximity touch speed, a proximity
touch time, a proximity touch position, a proximity touch moving
state and the like). Information corresponding to the sensed
proximity touch operation and proximity touch pattern may be output
on the touch screen.
[0091] The sound output module 1152 may output audio data received
from the wireless communication unit 1110 or stored in the memory
1160 in a call signal reception mode, a communication mode, a
recording mode, a voice recognition mode, a broadcast reception
mode or the like. The sound output module 1152 may also output a
sound signal related to a function (e.g., a call signal reception
sound, a message reception sound or the like) performed by the
wireless teaching pendant 1100. The sound output module 1152 may
include a receiver, a speaker, a buzzer or the like.
[0092] The memory 1160 may store a program for processing and
controlling the control unit 1180 or may perform a function of
temporarily storing input/output data (e.g., a phone book, a
message, an audio, a still image, an electronic book, a moving
image, a transmission and reception message history, and the like).
The memory 1160 may also store a frequency of using each of the
data (e.g., a frequency of using a phone number, a message, a
multimedia data or the like). In addition, the memory 1160 may
store data related to vibrations and sounds of a variety of
patterns output when a touch is input on the touch screen.
[0093] The memory 1160 may include at least a type of storage media
including a flash memory, a hard disk, a multimedia micro card, a
card type memory (e.g., an SD or XD memory), a RAM (Random Access
Memory), a Static Random Access Memory (SRAM), a ROM (Read-Only
Memory), an Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory
(EEPROM), a Programmable Read-Only Memory (PROM), a magnetic
memory, a magnetic disk, and an optical disk. The wireless teaching
pendant 1100 may operate in relation to a web storage which
performs the storage function of the memory 1160 on the
Internet.
[0094] The interface unit 1170 functions as a passage to all
external devices connected to the wireless teaching pendant 1100.
The interface unit 1170 receives data from an external device,
receives and transfers power to each constitutional component
inside the wireless teaching pendant 1100, or transmits internal
data of the wireless teaching pendant 1100 to an external device.
For example, the interface unit 1170 may include a wired/wireless
headset port, an external charger port, a wired/wireless data port,
a memory card port, a port for connecting a device provided with an
identification module, an audio input/output (I/O) port, a video
I/O port, an earphone port and the like.
[0095] The identification module is a chip for storing various
kinds of information for authorizing a right to use the wireless
teaching pendant 1100 and may include a User Identify Module (UIM),
Subscriber Identify Module (SIM), a Universal Subscriber Identity
Module (USIM) and the like. The device provided with an
identification module (hereinafter, referred to as an
`identification device`) can be manufactured in the form of a smart
card. Accordingly, the identification device may be connected to
the wireless teaching pendant 1100 through a port.
[0096] When the wireless teaching pendant 1100 is connected to a
cradle, the interface unit may function as a passage for supplying
power received from the cradle to the wireless teaching pendant
1100 or a passage for transferring various kinds of command signals
input from the cradle by a user to the wireless teaching pendant
1100. The various kinds of command signals or the power received
from the cradle may operate as a signal for recognizing that the
wireless teaching pendant 1100 is correctly mounted on the
cradle.
[0097] The control unit 1180 generally controls overall operation
of the wireless teaching pendant 1100. For example, the control
unit 1180 performs a control or a process related to voice
communication, data communication, video communication or the like.
The control unit 1180 may be provided with a multimedia module 1181
for multimedia playback. The multimedia module 1181 may be
implemented in the control unit 1180 or may be implemented to be
separate from the control unit 1180.
[0098] The control unit 1180 may perform a pattern recognition
process for recognizing a handwriting input or a drawing input
performed on the touch screen as a character or an image.
[0099] Meanwhile, when the display unit 1151 is provided as an
organic light-emitting diode (OLED) or a Transparent OLED (TOLED),
according to the present invention, if a size of a preview image
input through the camera 1121 is adjusted by handling of a user
while the preview image is pull-up displayed on the screen of the
organic light-emitting diode (OLED) or the Transparent OLED
(TOLED), the control unit 1180 may reduce consumption of power
supplied to the display unit 1151 from the power supply unit 1190
by turning off drive of pixels in a second region of the screen,
excluding a first region where the preview image whose size has
been adjusted is displayed.
[0100] The power supply unit 1190 receives external power or
internal power under the control of the control unit 1180 and
supplies power needed for the operation of each constitutional
component.
[0101] A variety of embodiments described here may be implemented
in a recording medium that can be read through a computer or a
device similar to the computer using software, hardware or a
combination thereof.
[0102] According to hardware implementation, the embodiments
described here may be implemented using at least one of an ASIC
(application specific integrated circuit), a DSP (digital signal
processor), a DSPD (digital signal processing device), a PLD
(programmable logic device), an FPGA (field programmable gate
array, a processor, a controller, a microcontroller, a
microprocessor and other electrical units for performing other
functions. In some cases, the embodiments described in the
specification may be implemented as the control unit 1180
itself.
[0103] According to software implementation, embodiments of the
procedures and functions described in this specification may be
implemented as separate software modules. Each of the software
modules may perform one or more functions or operations described
in this specification. A software code may be implemented as a
software application written in an appropriate program language.
The software code may be stored in the memory 1160 and executed by
the control unit 1180.
[0104] FIG. 3a is a view showing an example of a wireless teaching
pendant 1100 applicable to the present invention, and FIG. 3b is a
view illustrating a detailed specification of the wireless teaching
pendant 1100 applicable to the present invention.
[0105] As is disclosed in FIG. 3a, the wireless teaching pendant
1100 applied to the present invention may be a Teaching PAD (T-PAD)
in which an interface is configured using an Android platform.
[0106] The Android platform applied to the present invention is a
software stack and operating system including an operating system,
middleware, a user interface and standard application programs for
a portable device such as a cellular phone.
[0107] In addition, the Android platform applied to the present
invention provides various tools and application program interfaces
(APIs) needed for developing application programs through a
software development toolkit.
[0108] Referring to FIG. 3a, the wireless teaching pendant 1100
applied to the present invention may provide a plurality of
functions.
[0109] First, the wireless teaching pendant 1100 includes a power
button 1 and may provide a function of screen lock 2.
[0110] Next, the wireless teaching pendant 1100 may be provided
with a volume control function 3 and a shutter button 4.
[0111] In addition, the wireless teaching pendant 1100 may include
a front camera lens 5, a light sensor 6, a touch screen 7 and a
recharge indicator 8 through the display unit 1151.
[0112] In addition, the wireless teaching pendant 1100 may include
a mini USB port 9, an external micro SD card port 10, a USB port
11, a USIM card slot 12, an earphone connection jack 13 and a power
connection jack on a side surface.
[0113] In addition, the wireless teaching pendant 1100 may include
a microphone port 15, a reset button 16, a docking station
connection jack 17 and a speaker 18.
[0114] On the other hand, FIG. 3b is a view illustrating a detailed
specification of the wireless teaching pendant applicable to the
present invention.
[0115] Referring to FIG. 3b, a processor applied to the control
unit 1180 of the wireless teaching pendant 1100 is Cortex-A9 Dual,
and the operating system may be Android 3.1 as described above.
[0116] In addition, the memory 1160 of the wireless teaching
pendant 1100 may be 1 GB of DDR2 Mobile RAM 333 MHz, and mass
memory may be 16 GB (32 GB in maximum).
[0117] In addition, the display unit 1151 of the wireless teaching
pendant 1100 may be a TFT-LCD of 10.1'' having a resolution of
1280.times.800 (WXGA).
[0118] However, the detailed specification of the wireless teaching
pendant applied to the present invention described above with
reference to FIG. 3b is merely an example, and it is apparent that
the wireless teaching pendant can be implemented in further diverse
forms.
[0119] A multiple robot control system proposed in the present
invention based on the wireless teaching pendant 1100 described
above may use a wireless communication method between an equipment
and the wireless teaching pendant 1100 and transmit and receive
data through an access point or a tower lamp.
[0120] Such a method may drastically reduce the number of teaching
pendants respectively needed for each equipment, and a user may be
provided with convenience of connecting the teaching pendant to the
equipment within a range capable of communication and handling or
monitoring the equipment.
[0121] A wireless system applied in the present invention is a
communication, monitoring or control system which carries signals
through air using electromagnetic or sound waves. Most of wireless
systems use RF representing a radio frequency or IR representing an
infrared ray.
[0122] A short range communication method or a wireless
communication method may be used as the communication method, and
the short range communication may use at least one of techniques
including Wireless-Fidelity (WiFi), Bluetooth, Radio Frequency
Identification (RFID), infrared Data Association (IrDA), Ultra
Wideband (UWB) and ZigBee.
[0123] In addition, the wireless communication may use at least one
of techniques including code division multiple access (CDMA),
frequency division multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple
access (TDMA), orthogonal frequency division multiple access
(OFDMA) and single carrier frequency division multiple access
(SC-FDMA).
[0124] An access point or a tower lamp may be used to exchange data
between the wireless teaching pendant 1100 and an equipment
according to such a short range communication method or wireless
communication method.
[0125] FIG. 4 is a view illustrating a specific example of a system
for controlling multiple robots to which a teaching pendant
according to the present invention is applied.
[0126] Referring to FIG. 4, the multiple robot control system
proposed by the present invention may be configured of a wireless
teaching pendant 1100, an access point 1200, a plurality of control
units 200 and a plurality of robots 400.
[0127] Here, the plurality of control units 200 may mean the
control board 200 described above or a motion master board of the
ARC-II 610 included in the control board 200. Hereinafter, although
it is assumed that the plurality of control units 200 applied in
FIG. 4 is the motion master board of the ARC-II 610 for the
convenience of explanation, the present invention is not limited
thereto.
[0128] A Teaching PAD (T-PAD) configured with an interface using an
Android platform is used as the wireless teaching pendant 1100 of
FIG. 4 from which a user may issue a command.
[0129] An access point (AP) 1200 is placed between the Teaching PAD
(T-PAD) and the motion controller 200 which drives an equipment,
and data are transmitted and received between the Teaching PAD
(T-PAD) and the motion controller 200 using a short range
communication or a wireless communication.
[0130] Here, since the access point (AP) 1200 allows transmission
and reception of data between equipments, in addition to wireless
communication between the Teaching PAD (T-PAD) and an equipment, it
may improve working speed.
[0131] FIG. 5 is a view showing an example of the concept of
wireless communication between a teaching pendant and a motion
master board in relation to the present invention.
[0132] The multiple robot control system using a wireless T-PAD
based on Android is configured using a motion master board of the
T-PAD shown in FIG. 5, and the detail communication sequence and
the configuration of the Android are as described below.
[0133] FIG. 5 is a conceptual view showing the concept of wireless
communication between a teaching PAD 1100 and a motion master board
200, and FIG. 6 is a view showing an example of a communication
procedure between a teaching pendant and a motion master board in
relation to the present invention.
[0134] A user transmits a desired motion command to a robot using
an application (motion control S/W) created based on Android.
[0135] This command is transferred from the CPU to the access point
(tower lamp) 1200 through a USB 2.0 Host Controller and a WiFi
module.
[0136] The command transferred to the access point 1200 is
transferred to the WiFi module when a connection approval command
is input into the motion master board 200 and transferred to a
Motion SOC chip by way of the USB 2.0 Host Controller, and the
robot is driven by processing the command desired by the user.
[0137] In addition, the Motion SOC implements a USB I/F which is an
interface of the WiFi module by connecting a USB 2.0 Host Device
using a local bus of Static Memory Controller (SMC), which is a
Microprocessor Bus Interface, for communication with the WiFi
module.
[0138] Accordingly, a communication procedure as shown in FIG. 6 is
needed between the T-PAD 1100 and the motion master board 200.
[0139] Specifically, the T-PAD 1100 may perform a connection
attempt operation S110 and transmit corresponding connection
attempt request information to the motion master board 200 through
the wireless communication unit S120.
[0140] Next, the motion master board 200 may process a connection
standby S130 and transmit a corresponding signal to the T-PAD 1100
S140.
[0141] In addition, the T-PAD 1100 finishes the connection
operation S150 and may transmit information containing a certain
command to the motion master board 200 S160.
[0142] In addition, the motion master board 200 may execute the
certain command and transmit corresponding feedback information to
the T-PAD 1100 S180.
[0143] The effects obtained by applying the multiple robot control
system of the present invention are as described below.
[0144] Since there is no Motion Master which supports wireless
communication among currently commercialized products, a motion
board currently developed in an industrial strategic program is
designed to mount a wireless communication function.
[0145] Although conventional cable method requires one teaching
pendant for one equipment, in the present invention, since a
plurality of equipments can be controlled using one wireless
teaching pendant 1100 based on wireless communication, a cost
saving effect may be obtained.
[0146] In addition, as the cables are removed, inconvenience of
attaching or detaching a teaching pendant can be solved, and a
radius of action of a user may be increased.
[0147] The access point (tower lamp) 1200 functions as a center
point for establishing a communication between the T-PAD 1100 and
the equipment, and this is advantageous as shown below compared to
establishing a direct communication between the T-PAD 1100 and the
equipment.
[0148] That is, since all data can be transmitted and received
through the tower lamp 1200, data can be exchanged among the
equipments.
[0149] Therefore, since equipments of the same structure may
exchange data information on a teaching pendant or the like without
passing through the T-PAD 1100, an efficient system can be
constructed, and this is efficient to control a group of robots
since a plurality of equipments can be simultaneously monitored and
controlled.
[0150] In addition, as the access point (tower lamp) is separately
installed in each of automated production lines, a complex process
can be easily managed as shown in the following figure.
[0151] FIG. 7 is a view showing a specific example of a line
expansion management configuration using an access point in
relation to the present invention.
[0152] Referring to FIG. 7, a user may find a target robot further
easily by searching for the access point 1200 before searching for
a corresponding robot and may control the corresponding target
robot.
[0153] In FIG. 7, a plurality of access points (tower lamps) 1200
for separately communicating with each of a plurality of group
robots 400 is disclosed.
[0154] That is, the system can be controlled as a whole using one
T-PAD 1100, and data communication with a plurality of connected
group robots 400 can be performed by controlling each access
point.
[0155] In addition, since the robots belong to the same group
robots 400 may exchange data information on a teaching pendant or
the like without passing through the T-PAD 1100, an efficient
system can be constructed.
[0156] Meanwhile, since a plurality of equipments can be controlled
using one T-PAD 1100 based on wireless communication, generality
thereof can be increased.
[0157] FIG. 8 is a view showing a specific example of a motion
control configuration using an EtherCAT in relation to the present
invention.
[0158] As is disclosed in FIG. 8, if the motion master board 200
controlling a motion drive also has generality, an effective system
can be constructed.
[0159] If an existing commercialized drive such as a drive of
Panasonic, Yaskawa, Elmore, Mitsubishi or the like can be
controlled by mounting an EtherCAT Master 221 to 22N on the motion
master board 200, advantages such as cost saving in configuring an
equipment, flexibility of a system and the like can be guaranteed
further more.
[0160] In addition, since the present invention uses an Android
operating system, the effect of saving manufacturing cost can be
maximized.
[0161] Since a conventional teaching pendant is manufactured to be
fit for an equipment, it is disadvantageous in that additional cost
is required when hardware (H/W) is changed.
[0162] However, when a teaching pendant pad according to the
present invention is used, only software (S/W) using the Android is
updated although the hardware (H/W) is changed, and thus additional
cost is not required.
[0163] Accordingly, it is advantageous in that although an
equipment is changed, the pad can be continuously used by updating
only software (S/W) without changing a teaching pendant.
[0164] Meanwhile, the present invention can be implemented in a
computer readable code in a computer readable recoding medium. The
computer readable recoding medium includes all kinds of recoding
devices for storing data that can be read by a computer system.
Examples of the computer readable recoding medium are a ROM, a RAM,
a CD-ROM, a magnetic tape, a floppy disk, an optical data storage
device or the like, and, in addition, it can be implemented in the
form of a carrier wave (e.g., transmission through the
Internet).
[0165] In addition, since the computer readable recoding medium is
distributed in computer systems connected through a network, the
computer readable code may be stored and executed in a distributed
method. In addition, functional programs, codes and code segments
for implementing the present invention may be easily inferred by
those skilled in the art.
[0166] While the present invention has been described with
reference to the particular illustrative embodiments, it is not to
be restricted by the embodiments but only by the appended claims.
It is to be appreciated that those skilled in the art can change or
modify the embodiments without departing from the scope and spirit
of the present invention.
* * * * *